UK Leaning Away From EU

For the first time in 12 years, Prime Minister Tony Blair is less popular than his conservative opposition. According to a YouGov poll conducted in late June, 30 percent of Britons name Conservative Party leader David Cameron as the best potential prime minister, compared to 28 percent for the incumbent Labor leader. The dominance of the Conservative Party itself is slightly more pronounced: Thirty-nine percent said they would vote Conservative if there were a general election tomorrow; only 33 percent would vote for Labor. Some have called for Blair to step down, naming Finance Minister Gordon Brown as his replacement.

The transfer of the prime ministership from Blair to either David Cameron or Gordon Brown has several implications, but perhaps none is more important than how it would change the relationship between Britain and Europe. Whereas Blair is somewhat of an eu toady, Brown dislikes the federal Europe project, and Cameron hates it.

Gordon Brown is one of the most Euroskeptic politicians in the Labor Party. eu Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has warned that Brown will “have no influence” if he doesn’t become more supportive. As finance minister, Brown successfully opposed Britain’s adoption of the euro. Barroso observed that “until now Mr. Brown has not been one of the eu’s big players—even at finance minister level—because of Britain’s refusal to join the euro.” EUobserver.com says Brown has “rankled eu colleagues by his preachy style” (July 6). By contrast, the Times Online says Brown has “never hidden his admiration for America” and has “imbibed everything American for years.” He even employed former U.S. Reserve Bank Chairman Alan Greenspan as a consultant.

But Barroso may find himself pining for Brown’s comparatively Europe-friendly approach if the Conservative Party takes power and David Cameron becomes prime minister. In June, Cameron refused to attend talks with eu party leaders—including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Barroso himself. Cameron has pledged to withdraw Tory members of the European Parliament from the European People’s Party—a grouping of Europe’s main right-wing national political parties—because it is too federalist. Merkel has made clear that she is not happy about his intention. According to the Times Online, Cameron “has instructed William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, to form a new right-wing group to push for far-reaching reforms of the eu and modernize its trading relationship with the United States.” These are not the views eu leaders would like to see in a British prime minister.

Judging by the popularity of these leaders, Britain appears ready to lurch nearer toward withdrawing from the European Union, an event the Trumpet has predicted for years. Future leaders of both majority parties are Euroskeptics. The eu wouldn’t fare better with the minority parties: In a recent election for the seat in Bromley, Labor didn’t just lose the election, it placed fourth—after the anti-Europe UK Independence Party. Britain didn’t even hold a referendum on the eu constitution, knowing full well that France and the Netherlands had already rejected it and that the citizens of Britain would surely do the same. Most importantly, Britain has consistently refused to adopt the euro currency.

It is clear that Europe does not, and will not, have total support in Britain; the British people won’t accept the eu’s currency nor its constitution. The final formation of that European empire will emerge without Britain as a member. Of that you can be certain.

When Britain joined the European Community in 1973, Plain Truth founder Herbert W. Armstrong definitively stated that Britain would not remain in a United States of Europe. Bible prophecy makes this clear. Sadly, Britain—biblical Ephraim—is prophesied to be a victim of aggression by the final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe.

Today, Britain’s withdrawal—the fulfillment of that prophecy delivered over 30 years ago—is just over the horizon.